Liverpool FC Forum

[murphy0151]

I'm surprised those who slag Riise off for being the weak link in our defence haven't started slagging off Aurelio.

I like Aurelio but he needs to learn to close down players, he gives them far too much room to maneuver. I definitely think we are missing Carragher's leadership and organisation at the back, he can't come back soon enough.

Agger is a very impressive defender and has settled down well which I'm quite surprised at, especially considering he's spent most of the latter part of last season injured. He's performed exceptionally well for a youngster when called upon, and the goal was nothing short of amazing. I'm expecting great things from Agger.

Finnan and Pennant's partnership down the right seems to be getting a lot better, there's better understanding between the two which is great to see.

We've opened up our play alot, by getting wingers, we therefore have more options and a very good option to open up defences and we did that a lot yesterday, it was just ashame we didn't do too well in the final third until the golden period just before half time.

Garcia stressed me out once again, made a good assist, but he was disappointing once again. I think he should only come on the field as a sub for a while. I find him highly wasteful with the ball and it undoes all our work, I'm hoping it's just a blip and he improves as the season progresses.

Kuyt looks like a good player, I hadn't seen anything of him apart from the World Cup and some compilation videos but he looks pretty impressive, I look forward to seeing him again.

It wasn't a great performance, and I dare say if it was a better team and they had the chances Harewood and Bowyer wasted, we could of been looking at a 3-2 loss, but we aren't, we got three points and we're looking better, which is great to see.

Why are you surprised? 

Has Aurelio played numerous seasons int he premiership?

Has Aurelio Hooofffed the ball like Riiise?  To nobody.

Has Aurelio got red hair? lol

Point is mate Riise had his time to prove what he can do,  Aurelio hasnt.

[48-1119859832]

Why are you surprised? 

Has Aurelio played numerous seasons int he premiership?

Has Aurelio Hooofffed the ball like Riiise?  To nobody.

Has Aurelio got red hair? lol

Point is mate Riise had his time to prove what he can do,  Aurelio hasnt.

Well it's just the small fact that whilst Aurelio is new he is the weakest link in our defence, so I thought you'd start moaning about that. Aurelio has indeed hoofed the ball up the pitch, so you can see why I'm surprised. 

[murphy0151]

Why are you surprised? 

Has Aurelio played numerous seasons int he premiership?

Has Aurelio Hooofffed the ball like Riiise?  To nobody.

Has Aurelio got red hair? lol

Point is mate Riise had his time to prove what he can do,  Aurelio hasnt.

Well it's just the small fact that whilst Aurelio is new he is the weakest link in our defence, so I thought you'd start moaning about that. Aurelio has indeed hoofed the ball up the pitch, so you can see why I'm surprised. 

Nope, sorry mate you must have me mixed up with someone else.

[callaway360]

ok this hasnt got as much to do witht the match. it might just be me or do THE COMMENTATORS ALWAYS PUT LIVERPOOL DOWN they always seem to be against them...do you find htis and why is it happening

[adamnbarrett]

I'm surprised those who slag Riise off for being the weak link in our defence haven't started slagging off Aurelio.

I like Aurelio but he needs to learn to close down players, he gives them far too much room to maneuver. I definitely think we are missing Carragher's leadership and organisation at the back, he can't come back soon enough.

Agger is a very impressive defender and has settled down well which I'm quite surprised at, especially considering he's spent most of the latter part of last season injured. He's performed exceptionally well for a youngster when called upon, and the goal was nothing short of amazing. I'm expecting great things from Agger.

Finnan and Pennant's partnership down the right seems to be getting a lot better, there's better understanding between the two which is great to see.

We've opened up our play alot, by getting wingers, we therefore have more options and a very good option to open up defences and we did that a lot yesterday, it was just ashame we didn't do too well in the final third until the golden period just before half time.

Garcia stressed me out once again, made a good assist, but he was disappointing once again. I think he should only come on the field as a sub for a while. I find him highly wasteful with the ball and it undoes all our work, I'm hoping it's just a blip and he improves as the season progresses.

Kuyt looks like a good player, I hadn't seen anything of him apart from the World Cup and some compilation videos but he looks pretty impressive, I look forward to seeing him again.

It wasn't a great performance, and I dare say if it was a better team and they had the chances Harewood and Bowyer wasted, we could of been looking at a 3-2 loss, but we aren't, we got three points and we're looking better, which is great to see.

Why are you surprised? 

Has Aurelio played numerous seasons int he premiership?

Has Aurelio Hooofffed the ball like Riiise?  To nobody.

Has Aurelio got red hair? lol

Point is mate Riise had his time to prove what he can do,  Aurelio hasnt.

To be fair Aurelio did hoof the ball to noone in the second half.

[66-1112520797]

ok this hasnt got as much to do witht the match. it might just be me or do THE COMMENTATORS ALWAYS PUT LIVERPOOL DOWN they always seem to be against them...do you find htis and why is it happening

I watched the prem plus commentry, and I'd say the commenter/pundit bloke didnt knock us as such. But he was very pro West Ham, Mike someone his name was. Its bugging me who the co-commenter was but he kept praising West Ham all match. Obviously being a southerner he's had some sort of link with em.

Whats his though aaahhh

[The Red Baron]

The co commentator was Tony Gayle ex West Ham player.

[66-1112520797]

The co commentator was Tony Gayle ex West Ham player.

I thought it was Tony Gayle as his voice is familiar, but I'm sure I heard the commenter refer to him as Mike. 

[steven-lfc-forever]

Just a small thought, if carragher returns before riise, maybe push the left footed agger into the left back position? Until riise returns

[murphy0151]

I'm surprised those who slag Riise off for being the weak link in our defence haven't started slagging off Aurelio.

I like Aurelio but he needs to learn to close down players, he gives them far too much room to maneuver. I definitely think we are missing Carragher's leadership and organisation at the back, he can't come back soon enough.

Agger is a very impressive defender and has settled down well which I'm quite surprised at, especially considering he's spent most of the latter part of last season injured. He's performed exceptionally well for a youngster when called upon, and the goal was nothing short of amazing. I'm expecting great things from Agger.

Finnan and Pennant's partnership down the right seems to be getting a lot better, there's better understanding between the two which is great to see.

We've opened up our play alot, by getting wingers, we therefore have more options and a very good option to open up defences and we did that a lot yesterday, it was just ashame we didn't do too well in the final third until the golden period just before half time.

Garcia stressed me out once again, made a good assist, but he was disappointing once again. I think he should only come on the field as a sub for a while. I find him highly wasteful with the ball and it undoes all our work, I'm hoping it's just a blip and he improves as the season progresses.

Kuyt looks like a good player, I hadn't seen anything of him apart from the World Cup and some compilation videos but he looks pretty impressive, I look forward to seeing him again.

It wasn't a great performance, and I dare say if it was a better team and they had the chances Harewood and Bowyer wasted, we could of been looking at a 3-2 loss, but we aren't, we got three points and we're looking better, which is great to see.

Why are you surprised? 

Has Aurelio played numerous seasons int he premiership?

Has Aurelio Hooofffed the ball like Riiise?  To nobody.

Has Aurelio got red hair? lol

Point is mate Riise had his time to prove what he can do,  Aurelio hasnt.

To be fair Aurelio did hoof the ball to noone in the second half.

Once in 90mins, Riise was on for 20 mins against sheff utd and he done it 3 times.

[The Red Baron]

Yeah well the commentator was Ian Darke essentially a boxing commentator,he is sh!te when it comes to football.He probably thought it was Mike Tyson alongside him.

[adamnbarrett]

I'm surprised those who slag Riise off for being the weak link in our defence haven't started slagging off Aurelio.

I like Aurelio but he needs to learn to close down players, he gives them far too much room to maneuver. I definitely think we are missing Carragher's leadership and organisation at the back, he can't come back soon enough.

Agger is a very impressive defender and has settled down well which I'm quite surprised at, especially considering he's spent most of the latter part of last season injured. He's performed exceptionally well for a youngster when called upon, and the goal was nothing short of amazing. I'm expecting great things from Agger.

Finnan and Pennant's partnership down the right seems to be getting a lot better, there's better understanding between the two which is great to see.

We've opened up our play alot, by getting wingers, we therefore have more options and a very good option to open up defences and we did that a lot yesterday, it was just ashame we didn't do too well in the final third until the golden period just before half time.

Garcia stressed me out once again, made a good assist, but he was disappointing once again. I think he should only come on the field as a sub for a while. I find him highly wasteful with the ball and it undoes all our work, I'm hoping it's just a blip and he improves as the season progresses.

Kuyt looks like a good player, I hadn't seen anything of him apart from the World Cup and some compilation videos but he looks pretty impressive, I look forward to seeing him again.

It wasn't a great performance, and I dare say if it was a better team and they had the chances Harewood and Bowyer wasted, we could of been looking at a 3-2 loss, but we aren't, we got three points and we're looking better, which is great to see.

Why are you surprised? 

Has Aurelio played numerous seasons int he premiership?

Has Aurelio Hooofffed the ball like Riiise?  To nobody.

Has Aurelio got red hair? lol

Point is mate Riise had his time to prove what he can do,  Aurelio hasnt.

To be fair Aurelio did hoof the ball to noone in the second half.

Once in 90mins, Riise was on for 20 mins against sheff utd and he done it 3 times.

very true

[stmichael]

All in all, I thought it was a very good three points with plenty of encouraging signs against a good attacking side in West Ham. I felt we deserved the win and had loads of chances to get more goals, but it was never comfortable.

We started well and should have had a penno early on when Crouch was blatantly held in the box. I suppose it could be argued that his arm was across the other lad, but when you're twenty seven feet tall, your arm will be across the other lad. Not long after that they got their flukey as goal. Clearly Reina was at fault as no keeper should be beaten at his near post like that. However, in mitigation, I would say that at least it was an error born out of youthful folly (it's very easy to forget his tender years - especially for a keeper) rather than poor concentration or a lack of confidence. He basically read Zamora's eyes and intentions - which were both focused on a cross - and was then caught wrong footed when the mishit sent it goalwards.

I felt that rocked us a little and we took until the half hour mark to start really imposing our game on them. The last couple of matches have made me think that we're not fully adjusted to playing with real width yet as we seem to send it wide too early at the expense of allowing Xabi to dictate the play. It was going to the flanks - Pennant in particular - straight out of defence, which is simply a waste of our greatest strengths in the centre of midfield.

The defence once again, without looking all at sea, showed signs of a lack of familiarity as a unit. No individual was particularly at fault; there was just a sense that they're (understandably) not the well-oiled machine of last season. It's still early days with Agger and Aurelio, but both have shown some real positives whilst not quite convincing me of their defensive strength. Having said that, I don't expect them to just yet. Agger's willingness to bring the ball out looks like it has the potential to be an important asset for us - especially if he hits it as sweetly as he did for his goal with any sort of regularity. It was a peach.

In midfield, I felt both Xabi and Gerrard were underused in the middle. The ball was bypassing both of them in the first half and Gerrard's defensive responsibilities compromised his attacking game. Both improved for periods of the second half, but I fundamentally don't like them as a pair. It's not that I don't think they can play together; it's that I don't want them to: it's a waste. Furthermore, I think we missed Big Mo defensively. He covers so much ground and has developed a great understanding with Xabi. Between them I think they'd have stopped Benayoun's tricky little offside-beating balls by ensuring one of them was constantly in his face.

On the flanks, Pennant showed some neat touches and good use of the ball whilst whipping in quite a few crosses. However, I would like to have seen him go one on one a bit more often. Lil' Luis was his usual self: red hot one minute and giving it away the next. However, he was brilliant for the goal with his unpredictability confusing everyone bar Crouchinho whose finish was nice.

Up front, Bellamy was terrier-like. In fact the phrase could have been invented for him as he chased and harried their (actually very good) back line all game. I have to agree with NP's point about the moaning, though. He needs to try and keep a lid on it a bit as I think it'll actually count against him - even when he has a strong case, like today. He was given offside at least three times when he was on, and was ripped off for the disallowed goal. Crouchie, on the other hand, was quiet but took his goal well.

As for the subs, I felt Gonzales showed some flashes of his offensive talent, but no more. However, he picked the right place for a solid defensive tackle: such things always go down well with The Kop. Zenden did as was required and freed up Gerrard to go roaming, who immediately looked much better. However, the real bonus was Kuyt. Obviously 45 minutes is not a lot to go on, but there were instant signs of a lot to come from him: he looked very, very confident; worked hard; and linked really well with Gerrard and, to a lesser extent, Bellamy. Furthermore, he was desperate to score - and looked dangerously like doing so. As I said, early days, but my first impression is that the hype might well be justified.

Overall, then, I'm well happy with the win and three points. However, I still think we can improve a great deal: we can be much tighter defensively, use our width more judiciously, keep possession better and be more clinical in front of goal. However, it feels great to be able to say that after what was a very good result and good performance. Viva la Rafalution.

[bigmick]

The last couple of matches have made me think that we're not fully adjusted to playing with real width yet as we seem to send it wide too early at the expense of allowing Xabi to dictate the play. It was going to the flanks - Pennant in particular - straight out of defence, which is simply a waste of our greatest strengths in the centre of midfield.

A really good point this one and thinking about it your spot on St Mike. I also think it's impacting on us defensively aswell in that our inevitably less compact midfield is easier for players to break through when we lose it.
As Sabre has touched upon in the other thread it's probably no coincidence that under the spotlight of a less watertight midfield, it's Alonso that we are all looking at and pointing the finger. Very often he's the last man standing with runners coming from all directions and can be made to look bad.
It's something we are going to have toget used to though as our wide midfielders (particularly Pennant) more closely resemble wingers than before. The key is probably that they must track back when posession is lost (which in fairness both the new lads do) and that one or the other sits right on the touchline and not both all the time.

[davo_LFC]

the thing that gonzalez does which he needs to get out of his game and which am sure he will with a little help from rafa, (garcia has done this in the past and you can usually see the danger a mile off) i have noticed that he gets sucked in following the ball and leaves our left side slightly vulnerable, the right winger and right back are then able to double up against our left back, now to be fair to gonzalez he gets back in position fairly quickly and helps out aurielo but against top sides i cant help but feel they will get the cross in early and that could cause problems. Garcia did it when he used to be first choice right winger and it used to scare the sh.it out of me every time they attacked down his flank, the 4-1 defeat against chavski last season summed my point up, garcia got sucked in del horno bombed down the wing short pass to duff back of the net and i could see it before it had even happened but as usual rafa sorted it thank fu.ck the likes of kewell and garcia improved the defensive part of their game superbly last season, kewell more so. Am sure as rafa gets more time to train with the players everything will be back to it efficent self, lots of clean sheets and lots of goals thats why gerrard is boss playing right mid, he stays there while defending, roams free when attacking.

lets not forget, rafa has hardly had any time at all to train properly with the team excluding pre season coz thats all about fitness. thats why these internationals are a pain in the jacksy, am convinced when rafa gets the time he needs with the players so the understand his methods clearly  like last season then we will be firing on all cylinders